Denimsmith
On Track. Pays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 6 sources
Melbourne denim label making jeans in its own Brunswick East factory.
Denimsmith makes its jeans and denim in its own factories in Australia, where labour laws are strong and legal wages are about a living wage.
Also worth knowing
It carries the Australian Made label.
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Why it's graded On Track
- Not met: Meets 5 of 7 Good requirements.
- Met: No red flags.
Good requirements 5 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: presumed because legal wages in Australia are about a living wage, not checked at the company
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standardsPresumed from where it's made, not audited
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final oneA "Made in" claim can cover only the final stage. Earlier stages to show: yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 0
None found.
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Accreditations 1
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Denimsmith's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Jeans, Jackets & coats, Shirts: On Track, the same as Denimsmith overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
From Denimsmith's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Owns or runs its own production
- "Made in Australia" only means the last major stage happened there: under customs and consumer law, yarn, fabric, dyeing and, for shoes, uppers can be made elsewhere. It hasn't shown where those earlier stages happen, so where it's made counts towards On Track but not Good. Source
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
Research notes Denimsmith jeans are cut and sewn in founder Vinh Le's own denim factory in Brunswick East, Melbourne (operated by Vince Clothing Pty Ltd), which he has run since 1997; the premium range uses denim woven in Japan, and the source of other fabrics is not stated. The label was described as Ethical Clothing Australia accredited, but it no longer appears in ECA's current directory, and its website names no certification or wage details. Shop Ethical! reported in February 2026 that Denimsmith closed down in late 2025; its Brunswick East shop is listed as permanently closed, though the website still sells sample-sale stock.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Clothing Australia | Not listed | Not in the current Ethical Clothing Australia brand directory, although it was earlier described as ECA accredited. View |
| Fair Wear | Not listed | No indication of Fair Wear membership. View |
| B Corp directory | Not listed | No evidence of B Corp certification. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Not listed | No labour allegations against Denimsmith found in reporting. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 6
Show all 6 sources
- Ethical Clothing Australia brand sitemap · search the archive · Denimsmith is not among the 57 brands currently listed.
- Shop Ethical!: Denimsmith · search the archive · Owned by Vince Clothing Pty Ltd; 100% made in Australia; 'Denimsmith closed down in late 2025' (last updated Feb 2026).
- Broadsheet: Denimsmith · search the archive · Founded 2015 by Vinh Le, who has run his own Brunswick East denim factory since 1997; Japanese denim; called ECA accredited; shop closed.
- Fashion Journal: Sustainable denim labels · search the archive · Premium indigo denim sourced from Japan, made up by local makers in Brunswick East.
- Australian Fashion Council directory: Denimsmith · search the archive · Each item comes directly from its Melbourne makers.
Published by Denimsmith or its owner
- Denimsmith website · search the archive · 'Locally made in Brunswick East' by its Melbourne makers; factory in Brunswick East; sample sales; no certifications named; 2026 copyright.
Company details
- Headquarters
- Australia
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Denimsmith ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/denimsmith, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What On Track means
Better-graded everyday fashion
Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Denimsmith.